Lixus

Lixus

Morocco · Larache

Ancient cityExcavation ongoing
Approximate period700 BCE — 1,400 CEApproximately 7th century BC–14th century AD; Phoenician, Mauretanian, Roman and Islamic periods See on the map ↓

In brief

The city on the Loukkos River is notable for Atlantic trade and the production of fish products. Its houses, baths and extensive production facilities have been excavated, but much of the site still awaits investigation.

What was found?

  • 1Fish-processing vats

    The vats in the production area were used to prepare salted fish and the fish sauce known as garum. They show that seafood held an important place in the city's economy.

  • 2Oceanus mosaic

    The floor mosaic in the central hall of the large bathhouse depicts the god Oceanus. It documents the decoration of public bathing spaces with figural mosaics.

  • 3Mosaics of the House of Helios

    These are mythological mosaics that gave a large residence its name. They show the decorative approach used in houses at Liksus.

  • 4Mosaics of the House of Mars and Rhea

    These are mythological floor mosaics from another large residence. They are displayed at the Tétouan Archaeological Museum together with the mosaics from the House of Helios.

  • 5Monumental complex on the hill

    The group of buildings at the city's summit has traditionally been regarded as a temple precinct. Some researchers consider it a palace complex; there is no consensus on its function.

What does it point to?

The production vats at Liksus indicate an economy based on the large-scale preparation of seafood. The bathhouse and residential mosaics show that this production city also had a rich public and domestic life.

What did it teach us?

  1. They showed that fish sauce and salted fish production formed an extensive production district in the city.
  2. They revealed that mythological imagery was used in both bathhouses and private residences.
  3. The debate over whether the hilltop complex was a temple or a palace showed that the functions of buildings can be reassessed through new research.

Images

Lixus sp (weevil)
Jbjensen1 · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Latest news / selected archive

A new fish-salting facility was uncovered and investigated during the 2022–2023 excavations.

Record

Culture
Phoenician, Mauretanian and Roman
Team / historical
Joint Lixus-Garum project of INSAP and the University of Cádiz
Coordinates
35.1998°, -6.1102°

Sources

  1. wp-test.insap.ac.ma
  2. archaeology.org
  3. persee.fr
  4. isaw.nyu.edu
  5. École française de Rome / Persée — Lixus à l'époque romaine

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12.000

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